Overview

From their nineteenth-century beginnings in the jungles of Costa Rica to reaching the halls of power in Washington, D.C, from the mass-marketing of the banana as the first fast food, to fostering covert links with the CIA and involvement with a bloody coup in Guatemala, the United Fruit Company pioneered the growth of globalisation and created the blueprint for how corporations could wield influence and power, at any cost. In this compelling history of the United Fruit Company, Peter Chapman weaves together a dramatic tale of big business, deceit and violence, exploring the origins of one of the most controversial global corporations ever.

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9781838857875

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Reviews

'[An] insightful history of the company . . . [A] witty, energetic narrative' - New York Times Book Review 'Finely crafted . . . Chapman's broad-brush approach to history gives it a vigorous and entertaining narrative drive . . . Chapman's achievement is to make us realise what a long and complex moral journey even something as seemingly innocent as a banana has made to our fruit bowls' - Mark Cocker 'If you only read a handful of non-fiction books this year, [Bananas] is among your recommended five portions' - Observer ' Engagingly told . . . Delightful cameos of Carmen Miranda, Andy Warhol and Evelyn Waugh . . . Best is Chapman's account of the precarious ecology of the modern banana ' - Independent 'The term banana republic has become so divested of meaning that it's been adopted by a mid-range clothing chain. Its sobering reality is spelled out in this clear, dryly witty account of United Fruit' - Metro 'Excellent, darkly humorous expose' - Herald

'[An] insightful history of the company . . . [A] witty, energetic narrative' - New York Times Book Review 'Finely crafted . . . Chapman's broad-brush approach to history gives it a vigorous and entertaining narrative drive . . . Chapman's achievement is to make us realise what a long and complex moral journey even something as seemingly innocent as a banana has made to our fruit bowls' - Mark Cocker 'If you only read a handful of non-fiction books this year, [Bananas] is among your recommended five portions' - Observer ' Engagingly told . . . Delightful cameos of Carmen Miranda, Andy Warhol and Evelyn Waugh . . . Best is Chapman's account of the precarious ecology of the modern banana ' - Independent 'The term banana republic has become so divested of meaning that it's been adopted by a mid-range clothing chain. Its sobering reality is spelled out in this clear, dryly witty account of United Fruit' - Metro 'Excellent, darkly humorous expose' - Herald

[An] insightful history of the company . . . [A] witty, energetic narrative * * New York Times Book Review * * Finely crafted . . . Chapman's broad-brush approach to history gives it a vigorous and entertaining narrative drive . . . Chapman's achievement is to make us realise what a long and complex moral journey even something as seemingly innocent as a banana has made to our fruit bowls -- Mark Cocker * * Guardian * * If you only read a handful of non-fiction books this year, [Bananas] is among your recommended five portions * * Observer * * Engagingly told . . . Delightful cameos of Carmen Miranda, Andy Warhol and Evelyn Waugh . . . Best is Chapman's account of the precarious ecology of the modern banana * * Independent * * The term banana republic has become so divested of meaning that it's been adopted by a mid-range clothing chain. Its sobering reality is spelled out in this clear, dryly witty account of United Fruit * * Metro * * Excellent, darkly humorous expose * * Herald * * A tale of corporate skulduggery, an irreversible lesson in agricultural folly and a musing on the banana's place on our collective palate . . . An impressive indictment of a deeply flawed corporation * * The Nation * * Any tinpot regime these days tends to get called a banana republic. We have to remember they were real, vicious and bloody regimes set up and toppled at the behest of US fruit companies. Those corporations gave globalisation a bad name before we even used the term, and Peter Chapman's racy but erudite read constantly makes you wonder how much has changed * * New Scientist * * A fast-paced and shocking romp through the pioneer spirit of globalisation -- MARK THOMAS Offers a compelling cautionary tale of the evils of overmighty corporations and untrammeled globalisation * * Publishers Weekly * *

[An] insightful history of the company . . . [A] witty, energetic narrative * * New York Times Book Review * * Finely crafted . . .Chapman's broad-brush approach to history gives it a vigorous and entertaining narrative drive . . . Chapman's achievement is to make us realise what a long and complex moral journey even something as seemingly innocent as a banana has made to our fruit bowls -- Mark Cocker * * Guardian * * If you only read a handful of non-fiction books this year, [Bananas] is among your recommended five portions * * Observer * * Engagingly told . . . Delightful cameos of Carmen Miranda, Andy Warhol and Evelyn Waugh . . . Best is Chapman's account of the precarious ecology of the modern banana * * Independent * * The term banana republic has become so divested of meaning that it's been adopted by a mid-range clothing chain. Its sobering reality is spelled out in this clear, dryly witty account of United Fruit * * Metro * * Excellent, darkly humorous expose * * Herald * * A tale of corporate skulduggery, an irreversible lesson in agricultural folly and a musing on the banana's place on our collective palate . . . An impressive indictment of a deeply flawed corporation * * The Nation * * Any tinpot regime these days tends to get called a banana republic. We have to remember they were real, vicious and bloody regimes set up and toppled at the behest of US fruit companies. Those corporations gave globalisation a bad name before we even used the term, and Peter Chapman's racy but erudite read constantly makes you wonder how much has changed * * New Scientist * * A fast-paced and shocking romp through the pioneer spirit of globalisation -- MARK THOMAS Offers a compelling cautionary tale of the evils of overmighty corporations and untrammeled globalisation * * Publishers Weekly * *

Author Information

Peter Chapman is a journalist and writer, and a former BBC foreign correspondent in South America. He works for the Financial Times as an editor and writer, and lives in London.

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